I have just finished taking down a massive fireplace chimney made of cinder blocks and clay flue tiles. I am trying very hard to minimize the impact of this work on the local landfill.

So I am turning to my wise GardenWeb friends for suggestions on how to creatively resuse the cinder blocks. They are slimmer than usual -- only 3.75" deep by 7.5" high by 17" long. I probably have at least 100 of them. My lot is only a quarter acre (including the house), but it slopes on two sides so they are opportunities for terraces &/or steps.

A few specific questions:

- are there ways to use broken pieces or should I just save the blocks that survived the demolition intact?

- is there a trick to cutting the rough edges off of broken blocks to make smaller blocks?

- when can the blocks be dry stacked and when is mortar required

- does it matter if there is creosote still stuck to some of the blocks?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and any pictures!